Doodle Pac

What happens when you combine the best-selling paid app ever to be released on iOS with one the most recognisable characters in gaming history?

The answer is Pac'N-Jump, which is essentially Doodle Jump in Namco clothing with Pac-Man replacing the eponymous Doodle as the main character.

Aside from a few additions, the game is almost identical to the source material. But it makes up for this lack of originality with a nostalgia that is sure to please fans of Namco's arcade classic.

Pac n Mix

The game has you tilting your device to direct a jumping Pac-Man onto various platforms so that he can jump ever higher for as long as possible. Analogue and digital controls are also available if you have an objection to tilting, but neither option is as fun as the default accelerometer setting.

Eating items such as Pac-dots and power pellets allows Pac-Man to jump higher, while fruit items allow him to eat enemies that populate each stage. A run ends when Pac-Man falls off a platform into a seemingly endless abyss.

This is all remarkably similar to Doodle Jump so far, but the real attraction is the sense of nostalgia the game fosters. Retro graphics, sound effects, and menus allow players to reminisce, while the stages are all themed around classic Namco arcade games.

Days of our lives

The Pac-Man stage is unlocked by default, but stages themed around Dig-Dug, Rally-X and Galaga unlock once you have acquired a certain amount of points, or dots.

It's this nod to gaming history that separates Pac'N-Jump from Doodle Jump and is doubtless what will attract players to the game. It combines Namco's illustrious history with modern developments such as gyroscopic controls, achievements, and leaderboards.

While Pac'N-Jump shamelessly borrows its gameplay from Doodle Jump, it is fortunate that it also replicates the qualities which made the latter's format so successful and ensures that all these trips down memory lane aren't wasted.